Manuel Agujetas - Photo by Morgan SmithLovers of cante jondo, the gut wrenching deep song Flamenco style, will have the opportunity to attend a performance by legendary Spanish singer Manuel Agujetas at the Bay Area Flamenco Festival 2012.

Manuel Agujetas is an outstanding, controversial singer – anarchic and unpredictable. Born in Jerez de la Frontera in 1939, Agujetas is one of the most important figures in the history of flamenco.

Heir to the Spanish Gypsy tradition of singing blacksmiths, Agujetas worked in his father’s forge until 1970, when he made his first recording. He has achieved international recognition for his singing of the stunningly intense form of flamenco, cante jondo (deep song), which includes flamenco’s purest, ancient styles such as martinetes and siguiriyas.

He is the father of singers Dolores Agujetas and Antonio Agujetas. He has recorded over 10 albums and appears in Carlos Saura’s film “Flamenco” and is the subject of Dominique Abel’s documentary “Agujetas, Cantaor”.

Agujetas will be joined by his wife, dancer Kanako and the superb young Gypsy guitarist Manuel Valencia of Jerez de la Frontera, a student of both maestro Manuel Morao and Gerardo Núñez and the nephew of Terremoto, from whom he learned to accompany the cante.

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has been writing about world music and progressive music for many years. He founded the websites worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. Angel produced several specials for Metropolis (TVE) and co-produced “Musica NA”, a music show for Televisión Española (TVE) in Spain that featured an eclectic mix of world music, fusion, electronica, new age and contemporary classical music. Angel also produced and remastered world music and electronic music albums, compilations and boxed sets for Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Music of the World, Lektronic Soundscapes, and Mindchild Records. Angel is currently based in Durham, North Carolina.